Can I still rank for a keyword, even if I don't target it?

Faizah Level 1

January 20, 2015, 7:26 pm

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Can I still rank for a keyword, even if I don't target it?

If I choose not to target specific keywords on page, but talk about my subject in more generic terms, is it likely that I will rank anyway? For instance, let's say I was writing an article about “How to brush your dog's teeth.” That would be the focus of my page and any keywords mentioned would be incidental. But, it's not like I would actually be trying to push those keywords to make them rank.

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Beverly

Beverly

Some websites are ranking pages via a method called co-citation without directly targeting words on the page. Usually, this happens when other website owners and bloggers link back to a specific page or site, referring to the site in context of certain keywords. The site might not have specifically tried to target pages for those keywords but they will rank because others are discussing the pages using those keywords. So, Google uses the words being used to classify the site being linked to.

10 years ago

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Yonah

Yonah

You will most likely rank anyway, even without trying, so long as you are answering questions on your page and providing useful information for your readers. The key will be to write extensively on your subject as this will allow you to naturally use your keywords without risk of keyword stuffing.

10 years ago

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MillyBobbyBrown

MillyBobbyBrown

Google only uses keyword combinations on a page to properly categorize your page. And, even if you don't purposefully target or include specific popular keyword combinations, you will still rank even if accidentally as you are talking about your subject. How high you rank on Google for any specific keyword term is another question.

10 years ago

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EveAngeline

EveAngeline

I have read about some sites ranking pages, solely based on anchor text backlinking. For instance, if a blogger links to another, they might use a specific set of keywords or mention the site's link along with a description (which happens to include relevant keywords). This could help the site being linked to rank even if they have chosen not to target that specific keyword/term onpage.

10 years ago

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patco444

patco444

If the content is well-written, it's not a problem to rank for it, but it could be hard! ;)

10 years ago

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faisalmaximus

faisalmaximus

Yes, its possible. You don't need to have the exact match keywords in your site, as it is something related to dog, so its possible to rank the site for all LSI keywords related to dog, brush, teeth etc.

10 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

Your example on the brushing of the dog’s teeth reminds me of my blogs. My niche is pets particularly dogs and when I write the blog, I always try to enjoy myself in expressing about the blog that is usually an excerpt from my experience. Perhaps you don’t need to focus on the keywords so that you can still enjoy writing. If I would write a blog with keywords as the main concern then the blog will not be as interesting as when I write it in the natural way.

6 years ago

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